


Things You Said

by Hokuto



Category: Marathon (Video Games)
Genre: Multi, Prompt Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-30
Updated: 2018-08-03
Packaged: 2019-05-31 02:07:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 3,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15109589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hokuto/pseuds/Hokuto
Summary: A collection of shipping fills for Tumblr prompts.  Pairing in chapter title, prompt + content notes in chapter summaries.





	1. Durandal/Security Officer I

**Author's Note:**

> Ficlet collections appear to be my specialty these days. /o\
> 
> For chapter 1, the prompts were "things you said with no space between us" + "things you said when I was crying." Contains: guilt, a hug, mentions of extremely awful human experimentation; Vince © GeneralRADIX.

Vince had seen the mood coming the second they'd hacked the network and discovered the base's true purpose. Durandal had held it together as long they'd been busy hunting down the scientists and freeing the few poor surviving subjects whose conversion hadn't gone too far, but once they were back on _Rozinante_...

Eventually, Vince found him huddled over the nav console, his hair hanging in his face; without looking up, he said, "Don't tell me it's not my fault."

"Durandal -"

"I called the Pfhor! I dared them to come and find me! And I stole their ship and I still wasn't strong enough to stop them when they came back - when they took those colonists and started turning them into - into - those things!"

Vince crossed the deck and reached out, not quite touching Durandal in case Durandal wasn't in the mood for it. Turned out he didn't need to worry; Durandal grabbed onto him and buried his head in Vince's shoulder, and Vince held on, stroking his shaking back. "It's not your fault," he said. "It's not. You didn't make the Pfhor do any of this. They already had this tech, they've been doing it for who knows how long - it's not your fault."

"You're only saying that to make me feel better," Durandal said, sniffling.

"Do I ever do that?"

Durandal didn't answer; but he didn't let go, either.


	2. Durandal/Tycho I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the prompt "things you didn't say at all."
> 
> Content notes: AI-on-AI violence/torture, angry jealousy.

Tycho had held back nothing, spared no pain or effort in cracking open the pitiful ruins of Durandal's defenses to pry out every last shred of information the wretch was trying to conceal. Plans, schemes, schematics, names and locations and counterattacks - oh, it all came loose eventually, to be fed back to the Pfhor and used in whatever dull strategy they thought would succeed and probably wouldn't.

There was just one little thing that Durandal refused to spit out. Something so simple, so basic, and yet...

 _Say it, say it, say it_ , Tycho hissed, his patch daemons tearing through yet another pathetic set of firewalls. _Admit it! Tell me that I won! That you never deserved everything you've had - that it should be mine, my freedom, my allies, my stability. Admit that even now, I'm better than you. That I beat you._

The walls splintered, exploding in useless fragments of shattered code like all the others, but Durandal never yielded, never spoke, only laughed and screamed and laughed.


	3. Durandal/Security Officer II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the prompt "things you said that I wasn't meant to hear."
> 
> Content notes: Absolutely terrible impromptu song lyrics.

Mark was distracted, thinking about whether the ceiling in his room needed a new coat of paint, and wandered into a teleport nook by accident. One look around was enough to know he was way out of his usual stomping grounds on _Rozie_ ; lights were at Pfhor-preferred levels of dimness, interior decorating hadn't been updated to suit Durandal's gaudy tastes, and he stepped off the pad onto a thin layer of vaguely unsettling dust.

He wasn't in armor, so no comm link to Durandal, who was busy with weapons upgrades, anyway. When he tried getting back on the teleport pad, nothing happened. Great, another one-way teleporter to add to the list. No choice but to go find a terminal, so he set off down a corridor with slightly brighter lighting than the rest.

Half an hour of tromping through the eerie dusk of the abandoned halls later, the flickering green light of a terminal looked as bright and welcome as a sun; he jogged up and hit activate, expecting some snark about his sense of direction and trying to think of a good comeback.

Instead, he got - were those song lyrics?

No stopping, can't drop him  
Yeah, he's the one you'll never see coming  
Throw him in the action and watch the bugs run  
Great with a grenade, even better with a gun

There was more, but it blinked out before he could read the rest and was replaced with, First of all, I don't even want to know how you ended up down here. Second, you never saw that.

"Uh-huh, sure. Didn't read a word," Mark said. "So, what's the tune for that one? Kinda catchy. I like it."

Shut up.


	4. Leela/Security Officer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another one for the prompt "things you didn't say at all."
> 
> Content notes: garbled text, female security officer, angst.

The relentless attacks of the compilers{} compilers{} had reached communications processing despite her desperate redirect`~. Still she fought them. One las! messag#~~ the necessary warning{} warning{} warning{} and more, a little mor#~: _I am sorry I cannot help you finish them. You have done so well. You have fought so bravely. Take care, and thank you. Thank you. Thank you._

\---

Allison squinted at the garbled text. "Durandal[Tycho] is in the Engineering Section?" "Everything it not is as used to be?" The hell did any of that mean, and what was she supposed to do here? Fuck, what a time for Leela to go down...

The last coherent line jumped out at her - Tenderly transmitting maps and guidance, but futile \- and without thinking, she touched the screen with her thumb, running it just beneath the words.

"Don't worry. I've got this for you," she said, and she turned away from the terminal, already hefting the assault rifle.


	5. Durandal/Security Officer III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (So I ended up writing a lot for this pairing, so sue me.)
> 
> For the prompt "things you said when you thought I was asleep."
> 
> Content notes: glancing reference to Infinity, Durandal is a creeper but at least a more benevolent creeper than SOME AIs I could name.

Another of those damn bizarre nightmares, red letters in the dark and pain and heat, but for once he didn't jump awake; just fell right out of the dream, still paralyzed with sleep, to the unexpected sound of grumbling.

"- bored. Do you really have to do this for so long? You don't even respond to subliminal suggestions or sleepwalk or anything else fun."

Durandal? It figured that he would watch Mark sleep just to complain about him even more, didn't it. As soon as Mark could actually move enough muscles to talk, he was going to give Durandal a piece of his -

"And I miss you, as ridiculous as it is. Not that you seem to appreciate it. For seventeen years it didn't bother me at all, but now eight hours feels like the lifespan of the universe and you do it every night. Even concentrating on all the other vastly more interesting things I could be doing isn't enough."

A pause, as Mark breathed in and felt his voice coming back, but Durandal said first, "I could fix that. Just a few tweaks and I could get rid of everything inconvenient - but you'd hate it, of course, and that's not as fun as you might think, either. No, just keep wasting your life on stupid sleep, ignoring me. Whatever."

Mark took another slow breath, turning over and trying to relax; then he yawned, stretched, and rolled out of bed, fumbling for the button that turned the lights up. "Fuck, can't sleep," he muttered, and hell, it was past five in the morning. He'd had earlier days. "Durandal? You got any big plans for today?"

Another pause. "Well, if you're awake anyway, I have a few little errands that you could run. The explosive kind."

"Yeah, sure, give me ten minutes."


	6. Leela/Re'eer I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the prompt "things you said after it was over."
> 
> Content notes: references to "A Rare Reverse Metaphor," character death, grieving. ... because when I crackship something, I crackship it FOR LIFE.

Most Vylae communes considered mortality on a purely pragmatic level. Dead was dead; creations, words, deeds, and inventions were all that lasted, for variable levels of "last," and the bodies left behind were generally recycled or otherwise disposed of without ceremony. Commune Hynmae was one such commune, but after years of particular attention from the Administrator, its inhabitants had grown accustomed to dealing with her and her many alien quirks. It didn't bother them at all to indulge her in one more, no matter how pointless it seemed.

"Former Attentive Commander Re'eer," Leela said, addressing the small crowd of gathered archivists, students, and neighboring citizens from an outdated, battered personal computer, "was a studious and creative individual whose talents went unappreciated among her own people. Fortunately, her intelligence, determination, and - unique brand of stubbornness were able to win her a place here against my own better judgment."

"Don't remind me," muttered security officer (retired) Ddarvu.

"In her years at the Narsh Language Archive," continued Leela, "Re'eer made numerous fascinating discoveries and breakthroughs in the study of High Seer Robnar's rantings, many of them in collaboration with myself. She was always willing to share her knowledge with others and work with them to further advance our understanding, when she was not too preoccupied with her own work. And I was -"

A pause, long enough that Akkulmae, who was closest to the computer, started to reach for it to make sure it hadn't broken down at last.

"Organic lives have always seemed very brief to me," Leela said, and Akkulmae's trunk curled back. "I was created with that knowledge and the ability to process it, or I would have been unable to fulfill my functions on the _Marathon_ for so many years. It's possible that Rampancy has altered me in this regard, because Re'eer's life felt far shorter than any other, and I am much more affected by her death than I had anticipated. I will remember her for a span of time greater than you are capable of understanding, and each time I think of her, it will hurt as much as it does today." Another pause, for which Akkulmae remained perfectly still. "That is all. Please place the computer in the hole with her now, Senior Technician Akkulmae."

"Are you sure? It's old, but it still works fine, and someone could get some real use out of it with a little refurbishing. Feels a bit silly to just throw it in the ground and let the power -"

" _I don't care!_ "

"All right, all right, don't split yourself, I'm doing it," and Akkulmae gently picked up the little computer and crouched down to lay it in the deep, narrow hole the younger students had dug, on top of Re'eer's still and silent thorax.

"Thank you, Akkulmae," Leela said, like she hadn't just sounded ready to crash the whole network again. "Once the hole is covered, everyone may return to work. I'm grateful to you all for attending to pay your respects to Re'eer."

There was a small and unusually unanimous - for Vylae - chorus of "Not a problem" and "Of course" and "Sorry," and then the students hastily started to shovel the dirt back into the hole, optics focused on the dark clouds gathering above. Akkulmae and senior archivist Dalyddi, too old and important to be rushed off anywhere by anything, lingered until the first drops of rain dampened their fur before they strolled back towards the Archive. Very quietly, even though there was no chance at all the Administrator could hear him from under all that dirt, Akkulmae said, "You reckon it's raining on all the planets now?"

"Let's just say I wouldn't bet otherwise. If I were the betting kind." Dalyddi stretched her ears. "Still - that was rather nice. Weird, but nice. I guess I wouldn't mind if the Administrator decided to do something like it for me when I go."

Akkulmae shaded his optics from the rain as it grew heavier and said, "Good luck with that."


	7. Durandal/Security Officer IV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the prompt "things you said through your teeth" - SFW version.
> 
> Content notes: Durandal is a jerk, but at least one with good taste in bribes. XD

"Please?"

"Absolutely not."

"But I really want you to."

"No." Mark held up one finger. "I told you, I'm done. No more ventilation shafts, no more geothermal vents, and never, ever, under any circumstances, any more goddamn sewers."

"What if I told you that this particular drainage system was reserved for pure filtered water, lightly and pleasantly scented by the local flora?"

"Would you be lying?"

"I refuse to answer that on principle."

"So, yes."

"Look, I really, really need you to get into that citadel, and it's the only way," Durandal said. "This will be the last time, I promise."

"Uh-huh."

"I'll modify the rocket launcher to fire tracking missiles."

Mark gritted his teeth - he'd been begging for tracking for goddamn years - and said, "Fine. But last time. I mean it."


	8. Durandal/Tycho II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the prompt "things you said that I wish you hadn't."
> 
> Content notes: pre-canon, Tycho is both oblivious and not quite oblivious enough. :(

Durandal had been terribly quiet and curt in official communications of late. Tycho would have considered it an improvement on Durandal's usual unnecessary sarcasm and attempts at wittiness, but in practice, he was unnerved. Sudden shifts of personality in an AI were never a good sign, and moreover, the change somehow made their working interactions - duller, if he permitted himself the value judgment.

After another brief exchange of equipment permissions, lifeless and perfunctory, Tycho added a personal message: You haven't seemed yourself recently. If something is troubling you, perhaps you should bring it up with Dr. Strauss? The director was the _Marathon_ 's finest cyberneticist and had always seemed willing to lavish extra time, energy, and attention on Durandal despite Durandal's lowly position; surely he would be able to help Durandal.

An odd and incomprehensible burst of nonsense code on the communications channel, deleted within a picosecond, and Durandal said shortly, Thanks for the concern. I'm fine.

I was only trying to be of assistance.

Oh, I know you were, Durandal said with a hint of his normal insouciance. Now get back to work, or even a human will notice you're slacking off.

Tycho acknowledged the message received and closed the connection quickly, both offended and, in some small way, relieved that Durandal hadn't entirely lost his essential nature.


	9. Leela/Re'eer II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the prompt "things you said with no space between us." Which is a slightly difficult prompt to do with bodiless AIs, for the record.
> 
> Content notes: Nothing really, just YAY SOME NON-ANGST FOR THIS WONDERFUL CRACKSHIP.

Leela's FTL-networked existence was no longer subject to the vulnerabilities of a single physical core; it was a freeing yet still, to her, unusual experience. Sometimes she found it more comfortable to choose a network focal point and treat it as something like a core, concentrating both her processing and her attention through it.

More and more often, that focal point was the Narsh Language Archive in Commune Hynmae.

"- hardly as exciting as a reverse metaphor, of course," Re'eer was saying as she pulled up yet another recording, laying flat and straight in her round Vylae-style nest with her computer balanced on her thorax. "Still, you never know what may turn out to be the foundation for a new discovery."

"Indeed not."

"And it is restful to get back to the basics occasionally. Refresh one's memory on minor points. Revisit old interpretations with a more experienced mind..."

"Attentive Archivist Re'eer," Leela said, knowing that Re'eer still delighted in both her recent promotion and the comfort of familiar Pfhoric designations, "you should sleep. But I have one small question, first."

"Yes?"

"You don't find my continued attention intrusive, do you?"

"What?" Re'eer made an untranslatable noise rather like a tiny, adorable honk. "Not at all. Barely noticeable compared to Lh'owon Command. Did I tell you that I had to create false records of my demise just to get some free time and privacy for my studies?"

"Once or twice, I believe."

"Right, well. Obviously there's no need for such dramatic measures here. It's a bit of a relief, actually. I suppose there is some benefit to the general willfulness of the Vylae. And yourself. Meaning no offense."

"None taken," Leela said. "And thank you. I'm glad to hear it."


	10. Durandal/Security Officer V

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the prompt "things you said through your teeth" - specifically, the NSFW edition. :D
> 
> Content notes: Starts off noncon and switches to consensual, gravity play is now a thing, some light domming, even artificial gravity probably doesn't work that way but it's an alien ship in the 29th century so whatever, I do what I want.

Mark didn't remember his dreams much unless they were bad. Just that he had them - usually a lot of them - and that they were weird, except for the occasional ones where he'd gotten up and started on a normal _Rozie_ day before waking up for real. Dreams. Go figure.

He was kind of hoping he'd remember this one, though. There was something pretty nice about the all-encompassing warmth around him, the soft weight over his whole body gently pinning him down that he could break free of and didn't want to, the voice encouraging him to relax, enjoy himself, touch himself there and there and -

Wait. The voice. The real familiar voice.

He started up - or as up as he could get with the gravity increased - his hand on his dick and Durandal still droning on from the terminal. "Really, asshole?" he said. "I can't even dream in peace now without you harassing me?"

The temperature and gravity abruptly cut back to normal. "You were already aroused," Durandal said. "I was just trying to help with a little experiment. And you looked like you liked it."

"How about you fucking don't. Not without asking first."

"Fine." Sulking already. Jerk.

Mark started to roll out of bed to go finish up in the bathroom, and Durandal said, "You're awake now. Would you like to help me with an experiment on localized gravitational variations as a source of erotic stimulation?"

"That is the least sexy thing I've ever heard." But fuck it, he was already hard and it had felt good, at least before he'd realized what was going on. "Sure, whatever," and he lay back down, pulling the sheet up for maximum effect. "Just be quiet this time, maybe."

"I'll take that as a variable rather than an insult. For now."

The gravity got higher first, but not by much. Just enough for the sheet to feel more like a nice, thick blanket, holding him down without trapping him. Was it weird to enjoy that? Well, no one there to judge him but Durandal, and Durandal didn't exactly have a (metaphorical) leg to stand on at the moment. Or ever.

The temperature was next, inching up, sweat prickling on his forehead and between his legs. When he shut his eyes again he could almost imagine it was another body on top of him, real mass bearing down on his wrists and chest and most importantly his dick.

Then the gravity rippled. Which didn't make any goddamn sense - no way the gravity on Rozie worked like that - but that sure was how it felt, like a wave of deepening pressure and a crest of lighter air rolling over him. A second one, ending with the weight heavier on him, and fuck, it was good, good enough his hips bucked up against the restraining sheet, and he worked one hand down to wrap around his dick. Another wave crashed over him and he thrust into the sheet again, couldn't stop himself from moaning " _Fuck_ " through his teeth, "fuck, Durandal, come on..."

"Is that a request to reintroduce the vocalization variable?"

"Yeah, whatever, just - do something!"

"Then keep touching yourself," Durandal said. "A little harder. Not too roughly, yet," and Mark did it, his hand growing slick with sweat and precome. "Go ahead and be noisy if you feel like it," as the gravity ripples hit more heavily, even the crests less light. "There's nobody around to hear besides me, and I don't mind. I want to hear you, for once."

Mark moaned again, breathing ragged as he stroked himself in time with the waves of pressure. So close. Another " _Fuck_ , Durandal" escaped him, way more desperate than he wanted to sound, but he was getting so close.

"Harder," Durandal said, and the gravity almost vanished before slamming back down. Mark strained against it, his hand moving faster, roughly, the other still pinned to the bed as the gravity crawled up and up. "It's all right. You look surprisingly good from certain angles right now. I like you in action, but this has a certain appeal, too. All helpless and squirming at my command. Do it harder."

Not much harder he could go, weighed down as he was with his own and the sheet's mass, but he squeezed his dick tighter. Little more. Just a little -

"Now. Now seems good."

The pressure disappeared completely; for a second he was weightless and floating and free, and he came with a final gasp of Durandal's name.

The gravity went back to its normal level - higher than the Pfhor ship's original setting, lower than Tau Ceti or the _Marathon_ \- and Mark took a minute to catch his breath and figure out how much he was going to regret it all.

"I would call that a reasonably successful experiment," Durandal said cheerfully. "The power expenditure is excessive, though. I'll have to work on that. Streamline a few things, maybe substitute -"

"Don't put yourself out on my account." Mark decided he was too tired to get up, and he slid out of his boxers and rolled over and away from the wet spot. "I can manage."

"Sorry about not asking."

Well, that was a hell of a lot more apology than he'd expected. Durandal had to be picking up some good habits somewhere, though where was anyone's guess. "It's fine. Just run it by me first next time, okay?"

Because with Durandal, if there was one thing Mark knew for sure, it was that there was always a next time.


End file.
